Cycling Shoes & Clips

By jim toledano

jim toledano

Jim Toledano has been a cyclist for many years has ridden thousands of miles. He has completed the 600 mile AIDS Lifecycle charity bike ride five times. He is the creator and leader of Team OC, a cycling group in Orange County, California which has the purpose of training new and experienced riders to successfully complete the AIDS Lifecycle. Check out the AIDS Lifecycle Website at www.aidslifecycle.org.

Video transcription

This is Jim Toledano for Expert Village and we’re going to talk about the shoe itself. A bike shoe should fit snuggly by not too tightly. It should fit well so your fit doesn’t move around. The reason why you don’t want have your foot move around is because all the extra motion used up energy that can be devoted to pushing down, going around, and pulling up. One thing in order to protect your ankles, all bicycle clips have what’s called float, which allows you to move a little bit this way so as not to put too much stress on your knees when you’re pedaling. The shoe itself should be nice and snug. It should be nice and stiff for the same reason. If you’re pushing down and the shoe is flexing, that’s energy that could be used to turn the pedals and make you more efficient. The difference between SPD clips and all the other kinds is that as you can see, the SPD clip is recessed. So when you’re walking, it’s not sticking into the ground. The other kinds of clips are attached to the shoe. When you walk, it’s going to hit the ground; it needs to be protected. These clips are also adjustable. You can see how this one is adjusted unevenly in terms of the geometry of it because that’s the way my leg works. These clips slide backwards, forwards, and side by side when they’re being put onto your shoes to match your particular pedal stroke. One size doesn’t fit all. Everybody’s built a little bit differently. You want to make sure that when you get your clips that the person who’s selling them to you puts them very carefully to fit the way your legs work, how your bike is built, and how you’re built so you get the most efficient use out of it and don’t put any strain on your knees. The biggest tip off when you’re learning to use clips is if you have pain in your knee, side, front, other side, or back, it most likely means that your clips are not set right. Most important thing, first thing, is that it be right in the ball of your foot so when you push down, you’re pushing directly down onto where it attaches to the pedal. Trail and error sometime is necessary and somebody who knows what he/she is doing to guide you.